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Volume 5, Issue 1 - Q1 2024 |
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First, what is an SEI?
A Statement of Economic Interest, or SEI, is a document that is required to be filled out by certain public officials. For reference, nearly 6,000 public officials (out of the 260,000 public officials across Oregon) filed an SEI last year.
Beyond being a statutory requirement for certain officials, the SEI report includes sources of income, business names where the official is an office or director, real property, office-related events, honoraria, and shared businesses with a lobbyist. The purpose of the SEI is to increase public transparency of those officials’ financial connections in the communities they serve, as SEI reports become public record once they are filed.
Reports are filed via OGEC's Electronic Filing System (EFS), meaning no stacks of papers are needed and your report can be accessed via our website 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All officials required to file should receive notification from their Jurisdictional Contact (JC) or by email from EFS. If you'd like to double check your status, you can speak with your JC or check ORS 244.050 for the list of all officials required to file.
What's changing in 2024?
Due to House Bill 2038, SEI filers have something new to include on their SEI forms this year. For officials who must record a business in questions 1A or 1B, you must also include any client, customer, investor, or any other entity who your business has a legal, contractional, or other business relationship if:
- They have contributed 10% or more of your business’ total gross annual income
- And they have a legislative or administrative interest in your public official position, or they have been or could reasonably be doing business with the governmental agency you are associated with
For those who have a statutory obligation to keep their client information private, there will be a process for requesting permission to share that information and affirming that you've taken the needed steps. More guidance - including screenshots and step-by-step instructions - will be available in our SEI Filer Guide, coming early March.
Now that we've covered the basics of an SEI and its newest update, let's touch base on the important deadlines during SEI season and the resources available to all public officials who are required to file!
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Candidates described in ORS 244.050(1)(a)&(b) who will appear on the Oregon primary election ballot are required to file an SEI by April 15, 2024.
OGEC staff have begun seating candidates who have filed with the Elections Division of the Secretary of State. You will receive an email from ogec.notification@egov.com with an invitation to create an EFS account if you do not already have one.
You are only required to file one SEI per year. You do not need to file separate SEIs if you hold multiple positions, including being a candidate for office, in 2024.
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Primary election candidates required to file an SEI include the following positions:
- Attorney General
- BOLI Commissioner
- Circuit Court Judge
- County Judge
- Court of Appeals Judge
- District Attorney
- Governor
- Secretary of State
- State Representative
- State Senator
- State Treasurer
- Supreme Court Justice
- Tax Court Judge
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Here are some helpful reminders about the dates you don't want to forget during SEI season:
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February 15th
- All Jurisdictional Contacts must submit accurate contact information for the filers within their jurisdiction by February 15th
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March 15th
- The SEI filing window opens and filers may begin compiling and submitting their reports
- All filers will be emailed through the Electronic Filing System (EFS)
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April 15th
- All SEI reports are due by April 15th, no matter the day of the week or if it is a holiday as EFS is available 24/7
Filers will be emailed periodically throughout the filing period (March 15th - April 15th) from EFS with reminders to file. It is incredibly important to check your email during this time and file your SEI report on time, as there are penalties for not filing on time and penalties will begin accruing automatically.
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For those who are filing for the first time or would like a refresher on the process, OGEC has several resources available.
SEI Filer Trainings
Throughout March 15th - April 15th, OGEC has many trainings available for filers. We highly recommend logging into your account and following along during the training.
Our 2024 SEI Filer Guide will be also be available early March, adding to the resources available to all SEI filers.
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JC Trainings
While our sprint of JC trainings to prepare for the February 15th deadline have passed, OGEC holds monthly webinars that cover your role as a JC and how to use EFS to assist your filers. You can sign up for those webinars, and any of our other monthly topics, below:
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2024 JC Guide
Our 2024 Jurisdictional Contact Guide is available online and offers help on navigating EFS and answering filers' questions.
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Looking for a Public Meetings Law training? OGEC is currently working on developing the curriculum. To ensure the accuracy of the trainings, we will begin offering them after we have held the administrative rule-making process. We anticipate launching these trainings, both in-person and as live webinars, by early summer.
In the meantime, our staff continues to provide trainings on the topics that were previously in our jurisdiction, including:
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Oregon Government Ethics Law Overview (2.5 hours): Conflicts of Interest, Prohibited Use of Office/Position, Private and Subsequent Employment, Nepotism, and Gifts provisions of Chapter 244. These provisions apply to ALL public officials regardless of whether they are paid for their services or not.
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Conflicts of Interest and Prohibited Use of Position (1.5 hours): What is a conflict of interest and what do you do when you are met with one? What does prohibited use of position mean? How does that affect board/commission members and employees alike?
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Executive Session provisions of Public Meetings Law (1.5 hours): Discuss the permissible reasons to enter an executive session and review any of the prerequisites.
To be the first to receive updates on Public Meetings Law trainings or the rule-making process, please subscribe at the links below to be added to our notification list.
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Our new Executive Director, Susan Myers, was chosen by unanimous Commission vote following a rigorous recruitment process that included VidCruiter interviews, an all-staff interview, a Stakeholder Meet and Greet, as well as a sit-down meeting at the Governor’s office, and an in-person interview with the Commission.
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Can you tell us about your vision for the organization as we continue to move forward?
My vision is for OGEC to become even more of a resource for public officials across the state. Increased outreach and training opportunities as well as more collaboration with various stakeholder groups such as AOC, LOC, OSBA, SDAO, and others.
What are your plans for this year?
Our primary focus this year at OGEC is to implement our jurisdiction over Oregon Public Meetings Law; this will include adopting administrative rules and implementing a training program that will include approval of other groups’ Oregon Public Meetings Law trainings.
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What has guided your progress to this role?
I am very honored to have been selected as OGEC’s Executive Director and I appreciate all the guidance that the previous Executive Director, Ron Bersin, has given me. In many ways, this role represents the best possible culmination of my prior careers. Initially, I was an English professor, and I enjoyed teaching. Then, I became an attorney - this position is a perfect blend of both.
What is one thing about OGEC that you are proud of?
OGEC strives to be accessible and helpful to public officials throughout the state. When we get phone calls, we answer the phone, and we try to provide appropriate advice. We do the same with emails and letters. I am proud that our staff truly endeavors to be helpful to the people seeking advice and guidance.
How do you like to spend your spare time?
As readers of our newsletter may be aware, I compete annually in a fantasy Tour de France league and follow pro cycling throughout the year. My favorite cyclist currently is Tadej Pogačar. I also enjoy watching Doctor Who and various detective dramas, such as Astrid and Vandervalk.
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OGEC staff were overwhelming excited with the appointment of Susan, and wish her well in her new role! A few staff members wanted to share their thoughts on their experience working with Susan.
“The thing I appreciate the most about Susan is her willingness and desire to lead from the front. Not only is she able to do her job, but she is willing to support everyone else with theirs. When you have a boss who will jump in and help when needed, you feel more confident knowing that there isn’t anything that can come up that the team can’t do.”
“Susan is eager to prioritize the health, development, and growth of her staff. She constantly gives words of encouragement and wisdom, is willing to take time out of her busy schedule to help us understand complicated situations, and I truly appreciate a well-timed Sundae and Hashbrown Day - Susan is sure to succeed in her position as Executive Director!”
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Editorial note: Susan introduced the office to the concept of the fantasy Tour de France league, and many of our staff now raptly follow the competition each year (no money changing hands, just the joy of the drama). Last year, our Curriculum & Training Coordinator received the particular honor of the lanterne rouge (last place) in the office fantasy league. |
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Meet our new Admin Specialist 2, Molly Putnam.
 Molly joined our team in early January in a brand new position at OGEC, an Administrative Specialist 2. Previously a Legal Assistant for Linn County, she's excited to contribute to OGEC's mission and further serve the State of Oregon.
To get to know our newest team member more - including her flower garden and what types of movies she likes to watch - click below:
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We're hiring for a Compliance & Enforcement Coordinator!
The recruitment for this position will close on February 26, 2024!
This role will include:
- providing guidance and consultation to staff, public officials, government jurisdictions, media, legislative staff, and the public
- working alongside the Executive Director to assign cases and advice to investigators and trainers
- conducting difficult and complex investigations
- preparing reports analyzing alleged violations of the laws with OGEC's jurisdiction
- making recommendations and presenting such to the Commission
The interview process will begin March 7 & 8, 2024.
If you have strong analytical and critical thinking skills, alongside experience leading a team charged with investigating compliance with program requirements, we encourage you to apply below:
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Did you take an OGEC training in 2023? Or maybe you requested advice or worked with our team to file your SEI?
If you interacted with our staff last year, we'd appreciate you taking our 2023 Customer Service Survey and providing feedback. The survey helps OGEC pinpoint what we're doing well and if there's anywhere we can improve.
The survey will be open through February 29, 2024 - please submit your responses before then if you'd like to be included in our 2023 analysis.
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Are you interested in government transparency? There are periodically Commission positions open and applications are kept on file for two years. Meetings occur about every six weeks. Information on previous and upcoming Commission meetings can be found on on our Meetings webpage.
No more than three of the members of the Commission may be from the same political party. Please make sure to state your political affiliation in your application.
For more information and to submit your application, please see the position description on Workday.
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Upcoming Commission Meetings
• March 22, 2024
• May 10, 2024
• June 28, 2024
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